Immigration, border enforcement weighed heavily in the debate
By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services via Arizona Daily Star
Congressional hopeful Nick Pierson lashed out at incumbent Rep. Raúl Grijalva in a televised debate, saying he’s “not a good example of a Mexican, not a good example of a Mexican-American, and he’s not a good example of an American.”
And Pierson, a Republican who said his parents were Mexican citizens, insisted that he is a better example. “I’m as Mexican as he is,” he said during the hour-long debate Tuesday night on KAET-TV, the Phoenix PBS affiliate.
Grijalva reacted angrily to the comments.
“My heritage, my Mexican-ness is not something that I put up for sale or barter in any political election,” the Tucson Democrat said. “That’s part of my being.”
